Tea Research Institute Strategic Plan 2010-2015 outlines the Vision and Mission of the Foundation. It identifies strategies that will help it align its activities for better service delivery to tea stakeholders in Kenya. The plan is in line with Tea Research Institute mandate as espoused in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. The tea industry in Kenya contributes to 4% of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for 26% of foreign exchange earnings.

Tea promotes rural industrialization and contributes positively to gender empowerment with 50% of all labour being women. Tea also contributes to environmental conservation through carbon sequestration and enhanced water infiltration. Tea is expected to contribute significantly towards the economic pillar of Kenya’s Vision 2030.As the only public tea research institution, the Institute is mandated to carry out basic, strategic, applied and adaptive research on tea for and on behalf of all stakeholders in industry. Due to the changing global operating environment, the Tea Research Institute needs to operate efficiently and effectively in order to meet the expectations of its stakeholders. With the current government policy of Performance Contracting and the need to effectively address the challenges facing the tea industry in Kenya, the Institute has found it necessary to re-align her activities by development of a strategic plan for 2010-2015. The Strategic Plan charts the new path that the Institute must take to remain relevant in the tea industry. The Plan identifies strategic objectives to be addressed and also forms a central core to the development of the Tea Research Institute’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework budget.